Today Sandpiper used John 17: 37 where Jesus says "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice". Those of us that know the truth - that Jesus is the Son of God, and thus God, know of His kingly stature - not someone like Pilate, someone come to rule the world in an earthly manner.
And Sandpiper went on to say that if you know the truth (emphasis mine) - the truth owns you. I find this disturbingly appropriate this morning. Over the last couple days, I used the savings acct with my inheritance to pay a bill - off setting what I had spent for Keith's weather station and our fun trip to Va to be with Robin and family (and Mira and family). And in my haste when I made that transfer, I thought the amount in the savings acct was $5000 less that I thought I remembered it to be.
I have "fretted" over that for the last several days. Gone over my notepad of what I had spent the inheritance money on. My fear has been - since I deposited the $25,000, that I would "fritter it away" and not know/remember where it had gone. I wanted that money to "count for something". I guess maybe I thought it would devalue Florence if I could not account for my spending.
Well, after compiling what I could here at the house to verify my accounting for what I had spent, I was ready to confront the bank- so I actually took a minute to look again at the bank account on the web, and indeed, the truth was what I remembered. not what I thought I had seen - and as someone famous had said, that truth freed me from worry.
So, let there be two lessons from this - one, if I trust myself to know the truth, trust yourself/have faith in your intuitions. And, don't spend so much time worrying, double check the account - maybe I saw some number incorrectly. Enough said.
Faith in God, faith in myself. Gotta love it - and myself.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Temporality
This is a new word for me - and I love learning new words. My (old) dictionary defines temporality as the quality of state of being temporal. So, the next step is to define Temporal - lasting only for a time - temporary, not eternal - of this world, not spiritual - hmm, civil or secular, not ecclesiastical - of or limited by time. I guess that defines me / life.
In my reading of today's devotion in The Upper Room Disciplines, today's author uses Revelation 1: 4b-8 as her text. There are serveral references in that passage of God/Christ as the beginning and the end, And the author's reminder is that while God is everlasting, we are temporary. I am again reminded of my instructions as I was being prepared to join the church, of God's infinite-ness. God being the Alpha and the Omega - ominipresent, omniscient, omnipotent.
And my more recent recognition that this all present, all knowing, all powerful God LOVES ME NOT MATTER WHAT! What wonderful knowledge.
And this passage again from today -"The confidence in our anticipation is the sense in which that always-future-coming reflects the everlasting nature of the God we have always known in and through Jesus Christ."
And then, this other recurring thought - I miss being involved in a spiritual formation / spiritual development group. I continue to pray and look for opportunities to form or join such a group. In the meanwhile, I am thankful for a spiritual leader that stirred my thought proccesses.
Hmm, always-future-coming. Save your fork, the best is yet to come.
Thanks be to God.
In my reading of today's devotion in The Upper Room Disciplines, today's author uses Revelation 1: 4b-8 as her text. There are serveral references in that passage of God/Christ as the beginning and the end, And the author's reminder is that while God is everlasting, we are temporary. I am again reminded of my instructions as I was being prepared to join the church, of God's infinite-ness. God being the Alpha and the Omega - ominipresent, omniscient, omnipotent.
And my more recent recognition that this all present, all knowing, all powerful God LOVES ME NOT MATTER WHAT! What wonderful knowledge.
And this passage again from today -"The confidence in our anticipation is the sense in which that always-future-coming reflects the everlasting nature of the God we have always known in and through Jesus Christ."
And then, this other recurring thought - I miss being involved in a spiritual formation / spiritual development group. I continue to pray and look for opportunities to form or join such a group. In the meanwhile, I am thankful for a spiritual leader that stirred my thought proccesses.
Hmm, always-future-coming. Save your fork, the best is yet to come.
Thanks be to God.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Publish?
I am considering making this page known to others. I know it can be "found" and may be seen by others who just click the "next blog" choice at the top of the page, but not sure.....
Reasons for letting others know about it - as a way of keeping myself and others informed on a more or less regular basis of what I have accomplished. Like yesterday I:
finished the knitting on sweater for g for Christmas
did a massive trim on the butterfly bushes beside the deck - several of the largest stems were broken in this last storm and decided while I was at it, to just do them both in a similar fashion
walked the back of our property and saw all the damage of the two storms- hard to pinpoint what was just this last as the foliage had been on when the June storm occurred, though I think most of the damage on the back "hill" was this last storm. And realized that I NEED HELP TO GET THIS CLEANED UP!
Walked a mini loaf of bread up to Dewey's house - they have two horses up there! (left it on the fr ont porch bench ( and need to remember to call and see it they found it-)
Cleared up my confusion about socks for G - will try to get a pair made for him for Christmas. I did not want to "take away" from A his homemade sock knitting if she wanted to make them for him.
Changed sign at Crim to read "Operation Christmas Child Shoe box collection site.
Finished book "Cider House Rules"
Did not get done - vacuuming in house -
A real walk (though I did walk to D's house and did get to The Workout.)
Reasons for letting others know about it - as a way of keeping myself and others informed on a more or less regular basis of what I have accomplished. Like yesterday I:
finished the knitting on sweater for g for Christmas
did a massive trim on the butterfly bushes beside the deck - several of the largest stems were broken in this last storm and decided while I was at it, to just do them both in a similar fashion
walked the back of our property and saw all the damage of the two storms- hard to pinpoint what was just this last as the foliage had been on when the June storm occurred, though I think most of the damage on the back "hill" was this last storm. And realized that I NEED HELP TO GET THIS CLEANED UP!
Walked a mini loaf of bread up to Dewey's house - they have two horses up there! (left it on the fr ont porch bench ( and need to remember to call and see it they found it-)
Cleared up my confusion about socks for G - will try to get a pair made for him for Christmas. I did not want to "take away" from A his homemade sock knitting if she wanted to make them for him.
Changed sign at Crim to read "Operation Christmas Child Shoe box collection site.
Finished book "Cider House Rules"
Did not get done - vacuuming in house -
A real walk (though I did walk to D's house and did get to The Workout.)
Friday, November 9, 2012
Courage and Faith
This passage from today's reading in the Upper Room Disciplines:
Based on Ps 127, as well as this week's reading in Ruth:
"Courage is an element of trust, and trust is an element of faith. Faith is the underpinning of holy risk. In the face of doubts and despair, in the presence of foes and fears, the faith that is our heritage from God, God's great gift and blessing, provides courage and confidence." (Martha Highsmith)
I have taken on many different "jobs" during my life. As I think about courage and faith, I realize that when I have spoken up and volunteered to do something just beyond my confort level, it has been with the base of knowing that it is OK to fail - and that comes ,I BELEIVE, from the knowledge that I AM LOVED - and isn't that the gift of Grace?
And isn't it the love of others that gives us the lift to do things? I am thinking this AM about getting ready and going to the church to help prepare for tomorrows dinner - and all the other things I have to do - prepare the cards for the congregation to sign, bake breads for pastor for the veterans on Sunday- exercise, and maybe get in a walk. Then there is all this mess around our house to clean up from the storm.
And knitting projects to be accomplished, and the Prayer Shawl group. My mind is a whirl of things to do. But then I am lead back to "why me" - why am I the one to push the prayer shawl ministry? Why am I the one to bake the bread? fix the cards, etc. Sure, part of the answer is "why not you?" - but my constant prayer is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
God has put many people in my life to be my "support staff" - to be my encouragers. I think back to Susan Pickering's parents - they thought I was worthy of taking into their lives and on their boat - and gave me things to do. Lorita Duffield thought I was worth the effort to lead me to become a nurse. Mrs. Chaffey thought enough of me to allow me to be supervisor - in charge of the Broaddus Hospital. Norma Workman had faith in me to nurture me in OR. Joy Don took me into a larger environment in both WVUH and the world of AORN. I could go on an on...up to Alicia-
Alicia had faith in me to nurture my faith, to have me lead a group of others in the Prayer shawl ministry. To have us care for their daughter through her senior year in high school. And now I am considered a strong part of Crim UMC. Tonya thinks I am worth the effort to teach me in bells, and the friends I have made through the church are beyond the basic word friend. We are family- family in Christ's body.
Which leads me back to courage and faith. Because of my faith, I have the courage to make the "sweet tea" - to prepare back packs bags, to listen to God and make notes on cards. Thank you folks and God especially for your ongoing support.
I like Alicia's ending......To God be the Glory
Based on Ps 127, as well as this week's reading in Ruth:
"Courage is an element of trust, and trust is an element of faith. Faith is the underpinning of holy risk. In the face of doubts and despair, in the presence of foes and fears, the faith that is our heritage from God, God's great gift and blessing, provides courage and confidence." (Martha Highsmith)
I have taken on many different "jobs" during my life. As I think about courage and faith, I realize that when I have spoken up and volunteered to do something just beyond my confort level, it has been with the base of knowing that it is OK to fail - and that comes ,I BELEIVE, from the knowledge that I AM LOVED - and isn't that the gift of Grace?
And isn't it the love of others that gives us the lift to do things? I am thinking this AM about getting ready and going to the church to help prepare for tomorrows dinner - and all the other things I have to do - prepare the cards for the congregation to sign, bake breads for pastor for the veterans on Sunday- exercise, and maybe get in a walk. Then there is all this mess around our house to clean up from the storm.
And knitting projects to be accomplished, and the Prayer Shawl group. My mind is a whirl of things to do. But then I am lead back to "why me" - why am I the one to push the prayer shawl ministry? Why am I the one to bake the bread? fix the cards, etc. Sure, part of the answer is "why not you?" - but my constant prayer is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
God has put many people in my life to be my "support staff" - to be my encouragers. I think back to Susan Pickering's parents - they thought I was worthy of taking into their lives and on their boat - and gave me things to do. Lorita Duffield thought I was worth the effort to lead me to become a nurse. Mrs. Chaffey thought enough of me to allow me to be supervisor - in charge of the Broaddus Hospital. Norma Workman had faith in me to nurture me in OR. Joy Don took me into a larger environment in both WVUH and the world of AORN. I could go on an on...up to Alicia-
Alicia had faith in me to nurture my faith, to have me lead a group of others in the Prayer shawl ministry. To have us care for their daughter through her senior year in high school. And now I am considered a strong part of Crim UMC. Tonya thinks I am worth the effort to teach me in bells, and the friends I have made through the church are beyond the basic word friend. We are family- family in Christ's body.
Which leads me back to courage and faith. Because of my faith, I have the courage to make the "sweet tea" - to prepare back packs bags, to listen to God and make notes on cards. Thank you folks and God especially for your ongoing support.
I like Alicia's ending......To God be the Glory
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